Break My Heart, Save My Life
Chapter Two: But Hell's Gate Calls Me

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews for the first chapter! Haven't done an Avatar story yet, so this is a surprise to have a good start. As an explanation, the lyrics from the last chapter are open to interpretation. I didn't direct them toward any certain character, because from a reader's experience, to each their own. Everyone sees it in a different way. This story is a first, because it will be what you make of it. I won't have any certain meaning to lyrics when I use them Enjoy.

For a moment, it seemed unreal. He was sitting here, holding onto someone who apparently wasn't supposed to be here. That in itself was enough to make his head spin. Wrapping his hand around hers, Jake didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, training took precedent. He had been neglecting his ikran since this had happened, and he needed more practice with him. Thankfully, Neytiri showed up, along with Tsu'tey, who was headed out for some morning hunting. A small stirmbeast herd was moving past, and some of the older ones were slower, meaning, they would suffice for the hunt. THz stronger ones would move on.

Seeing them leaving, he shifted, replacing Grace's avatar, and he then proceeded to drop from the hammock, hearing Tsu'tey calling for hunters. Getting away from the tree, he called his ikran, mounting him after a brief pat. Concentrating, he felt the banshee rise, taking him up into the thinner branches of Hometree. Neytiri had risen just before him, and Jake saw Seze heading north. Following, he saw the small herd, traveling toward a watering hole that they frequented, and he felt his fingers tighten around his bow as he pulled it from his back. Waiting for the right opportunity, he readied himself. His ikran went for a slight dive, as he rose from his position. Drawing his bow, Jake felt every muscle tighten as he released the arrow, letting it drive itself into the fleshy back of one of the cow's back. Hearing a few shouts of excitement, he continued, waiting for the others to move on. Seeing another that lagged behind, he readied himself again, but this time, he was beaten to it. Tsu'tey was beside him, diving down, and when both of their arrows were released, his hit first, followed by Jake's. Seeing a decent amount of the elder talioang falling due to the raining down of arrows, Jake waited for the order to release their ikrans and haul the dead back to be cut, cleaned, and cured. When it came, he dropped down, releasing his with a fluid motion, and headed to join the other hunters in lifting the larger beasts.

Feeling the weight of the animal on his shoulders, Jake was reminded o his burdens. They pressed down like dead weight on him both here and back in his other body. Knowing that he had Quaritch to deal with, he quickened his pace. The other hunters behind him protested, but they followed suit, moving faster, back toward Hometree, where a fire would already be going. Reaching the inner communal ground, he felt a slight dizziness coming over him. Putting the head of the beast down, he didn't wait for the others to do the same with the rest of its body. Leaning against the tree, he felt the ground shift under him. Everything was swimming together, colors, sounds, and the hands that were on his shoulders. He felt as if they were driving him down into the ground. The next thing he knew, he was looking up into Norm's face as he was being pulled up into a sitting position. Unable to speak, he let the other man do the talking.

"Sorry I had to pull you out… Something's up. Quaritch wants to see you and Trudy at Hell's Gate right now."

"Why?" He hated the way he sounded, half asleep or drunk. Either way, he wasn't pleased with it. Trudy was straightening her jacket, throwing it on, and she saw how he looked.

"Nice. Try to wake up, alright?" She looked over at Norm, seeing the confusion still on his face. "I don't know what he wants, but usually, it's not really good when he summons people like this."

"I'd say not"

Jake finally shook off the initial hangover-like feeling, knowing that it wouldn't leave him for awhile. Dropping into his chair, he moved toward his bunk, seeing the pile of clothes he could choose from. Getting a clean shirt, he threw his old one off and pulled the other one on. Making sure he looked decent, he followed Trudy out the airlock and toward her Samson which was already running. "No idea what he wants, huh?"

"Nope." Helping him up into it, she pulled his chair up as she went, securing it as he was finishing securing himself. Preparing to dust off, she looked back. "I sure hope he hasn't figured out anything yet."

"How would he?" Jake felt the Samson shudder as it lifted from the ground. "Oh well… I figure he's not about to congratulate us on our efforts."

"Nah, probably the opposite."

That was the last they spoke as they left the mountains. Looking through the window, Jake saw the expanse of Pandoran forests as he passed over it. Wanting nothing more than to melt into it, he kept his eyes open as long as he could, feeling them start to pulse and ache from loss of moisture. Finally blinking, he saw the rushing waterfall below, knowing that they had left the mountains and were approaching Hell's Gate. That was the problem with the RDA. They wouldn't let them go out of quick reach. They were lucky to be out at Site 26 right now.

"This is Samson 1-6, on approach to Hell's Gate Tower."

"You're clear, Samson 1-6." Hearing that, Trudy went down, as slow as possible, turning to Jake.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Great." She leveled out, coming in for a good landing on one of the closest launchpads to the facility. "We'll need a close spot, I think. This ain't a social visit."

"Didn't think so."

Shutting down the motor, Trudy released herself, undoing his chair from the secure harness, and placed it outside the Samson, securing an exopack as she went. Jake had done the same, allowing himself to breathe easier, and in moments, he was in his chair and headed into the tower, toward one of Quaritch's favorite places, a lecture hall. Once inside, they noticed that some of the grunts were giving them looks, looks that weren't pleasant. Passing Max o his way back to the lab, they saw him look over his shoulder before nodding and saying hello. Trudy nodded back, knowing that things had gotten tight here. Entering the lecture hall, they saw the Colonel standing there with his back to them. They also saw Wainfleet and another grunt standing there in the doorway. Trudy frowned before speaking.

"You wanted to see us, Colonel?"

"I did. Dismissed." As he turned, the two others exited, Wainfleet giving them a slight look of interest. As the door closed, Quaritch approached, looking a little tired. "I'm questioning your resolve." Pausing, he looked them both over, seeing their stony expressions. "I haven't heard anything for a short while, and I expect to hear at least once or twice a week. I want information, and I'm not getting it."

"I've told you all that I know, sir." Jake spoke up, knowing that this was directed more toward him than Trudy. "I've been doing little things to get closer. Nothing major to report. When something happens, you'll be the second to know."

"That's what I want to hear, Corporal, but it's just talk until I see some results."

"Colonel, we're doing all that we can under the circumstances. People are breathing down our backs from both sides here." Trudy said this, knowing that Selfridge was also pressing for results. His last video conference with Grace made that pretty clear.

"As I said, that is just talk until I get some results." He looked out over his shoulder. "We're gettin' closer. All I need is enough power to blow that tree out of the ground-"

"I'm still working on talking them out. Our three months aren't up yet. I need that time to get this done-"

"You'll have them to get it done, but not a minute more, are we understood?"

"Yes sir." Both said this, knowing that it was probably true. Parker Selfridge couldn't keep a leash on this man for too long.

"Good. Chacon, you're dismissed. I've got a few words for Jake here."

"I'll be outside." Trudy nodded to the Colonel, heading out the door. Jake took that to mean that she was going to have a word with Max while she had the chance. When the door closed, he looked back at Quaritch, seeing the look change from restrained to stern.

"Where's the bitch?" Knowing that this would probably come up, Jake thought for a split second, hoping for a good answer that was believable.

"Migraine." It was the best thing that suited her. Stress had brought more and more migraines as of late, so it worked. "She's giving Spellman an ear-full right now."

"I'm sure." A slight smirk had flecked over his face, and Jake didn't like it. "Just as well. How much does she know?"

"Know?" Jake asked this in mock confusion, knowing full well what he was referring to.

"How much does she know about your slipping information out?"

"She knows I'm doing it, but she doesn't know what I've told you." He said this, working to keep the guilt out of his voice. "We're clear as far as she's concerned."

"Keep it that way." Crossing back to the window, Quaritch looked back out over the other launchpads. "Son, I'm counting on your information to hit these sons of bitches hard if they don't comply."

"With all due respect Sir, I'm nobody's son. I quit being someone's property a long time ago. I'm only out here doing this for one reason, to get my legs back."

"I can respect that…" Approaching the carbon wheelchair, he waited a second before slugging Jake in the face, leaving an angry red mark that was sure to turn into a black bruise. "but you're not in a position to correct me, are you?" Turning away again, he waved his hand in a form of dismissal, turning to give him one last remark. "Remember what I said, Corporal. Choose your side in this war. Ridin' the fence, sometime soon, you'll fall off."

It didn't take Jake long to recover from the shock of what had just happened. He turned his chair and headed through the door, which was being pulled open by another marine. When he passed, Jake headed for the lab, knowing that Trudy had gone there to test the stress levels here. Turning the corner and heading down the main hallway, Jake passed several scientists, all looking over their shoulders at him, as they passed. Turning down the right hallway that led to the lab, he waited for the doors to open. As they did, e entered, seeing Trudy looking toward the door, waiting for him. When she saw him, she turned fully toward him.

"Whoa, what happened?"

"Nothing." Jake joined her and Max, who was looking at him strangely. "Just said something that pissed him off. This is the result."

"Great. What did you say to him?" Max asked this, letting his head fall to the side slightly in a quizzical look.

"Just told him I'm nobody's "son" and that I stopped being someone's property when I joined the Marines."

"Impressive." Max looked around, seeing the others crowded around a few screens and turned back. "Has her condition changed?"

It took him a few seconds to catch on, but it hit him quickly. Keeping his voice low, he shook his head in the negative. "No. Nothing yet." Thinking about it, he wanted to get back for that reason. Looking to the clock, he saw that it was well past two in the afternoon. "I must have slept later than I thought."

"A little." Trudy looked up, hearing the doors opening again. Seeing a few techs coming and a few leaving, she relaxed. "I thought that the avatar died when the driver did, if they were…"

"That is what is supposed to happen." Max looked between them, reading their faces. "What exactly happened?"

At this, Trudy looked to Jake. She and Norm had no idea what all happened. All they knew was the end result. He thought about how best to explain it, knowing that there was no short version.

"I got done working with Neytiri, came out, and that's when I saw that she wasn't back. Usually, I'm the last one out. Going back in, I started looking, and Tsu'tey said she was headed for the river. I followed the best path and saw a rock enclosure. There was a blood trail, so I followed it. Two Na'vi children were there, so was she. Grace had a hole in her ribcage and upper arm." He paused, seeing some marines come in and leave with one of the drivers. "What's going on there?"

"Interrogations…" Max lowered his voice, knowing that the others were watching as well. "Go on."

"I reacted, started a fire, pissed her off by trying to clean the wound, and got one of the kids to go for help. She was talking for awhile, saying that a thanator did it. I heard the others coming, was practically kept out while Mo'at did her work, and had a Q & A session with Tsu'tey. Grace said that the Na'vi would have said that the thanator did not speak with Eywa. What does that mean?"

"I think it means that it was captured and mistreated. It was abused, while the RDA was doing some testing. The caught some young animals, wanting to know all about them, their risks, benefits, and their threat to the RDA's hold. When they were done, they released them, but the things were scarred, emotionally and physically. They were blinded by rage and vengeance. Now, they don't act normal."

"They took her back to Hometree, and Mo'at said something a little odd to me. I figure it's just Tsahik stuff…" He could still hear the words echoing in his head. "The girl that was still there said that it wasn't just the thanator. It was a viperwolf. She said it didn't speak with Eywa either, I think. I left, searching around, and I found it."

"That exact one?" Max looked at him a little skeptically. How do you know it was that one?"

"I saw her skin hanging from its mouth." He worked that image out of his head, continuing. "I killed it. I went off on the sorry thing. It clawed me, but I stabbed the poor bastard. Went back to Hometree and Mo'at said she had just gone to sleep. I assumed she was going to beat me back to the shack… I was wrong."

He paused, working out what happened again, trying to reason it out, but nothing was coming to mind, so Jake gave up, explaining to Max. It could render some insight from him. "I woke up, Norm and Trudy were standing over me, and when she came out of link, they said there were no life signs. I won't lie; I panicked, went back in, and saw her avatar sleeping, still breathing, and I'm still confused. I can't tell you how long I sat there. Mo'at said that it was done and that I shouldn't doubt that Eywa walked with her on her journey back. I don't know what it means, but…"

"Wow… She finally got what she wanted, sort of."

"Yeah, about that… No one else knows. You're the only one in this miserable tower that does. Norm, Jake, and I agreed not to say a word to the bureaucrats upstairs."

"Good idea. Speaking of the Gestapo, I suggest that you two leave, now." He motioned toward another pair of marines escorting the same scientist back. "They're hitting us hard. I was the first in line."

"If anyone asks, she's got a killer migraine, no pun intended.'

"Got it. Go."

Both of them headed for the door, bypassing the marines who had just left. Moving back down the main corridor, they waited for the outer airlock to depressurize. Throwing their exopacks on, they approached the Samson, Trudy getting him in first.

"I've got a feeling we're lucky to be leaving.'

"Yeah. I think I'm lucky to be in one piece."

"You're lucky he didn't ask any more questions." Trudy secured his chair again, starting up the engine, impatiently tapping her fingers on the dashboard. "Come on…"

"We're good, otherwise we'd have bullets pelting this thing."

"True." Feeling the familiar shudder, Trudy radioed Norm. "Hey, how's it going out there?"

"Quiet and still a little awkward. I feel like her eyes have burned a hole in the wall and are staring at me."

"She always did say she was always watching." Trudy said this, laughing slightly, watching Jake shake with silent laughter as well. "Oh well…"

"How was the ass chewing?"

"It was better than expected. He just told us to watch it."

"Keeping his bitches in a row. Good thing you two defected." Norm paused, hearing Jake say something. "What?"

"I said he is trying. He's got all the scientists worrying about brutal interrogations. Two of them have been escorted out while we were there. Max already had his turn."

"Go figure." They flew back over the waterfall, climbing higher and reaching the outermost boundaries of the flux vortex. "Good thing she's dead, then. I'd hate to give him the pleasure of shooting her."

Jake stiffened but he was inclined to agree. "Yeah. That would be something I think I'd be conflicted about seeing."

"Yeah. I would be. I'd love to hear her opening remark, but I'd hate to see what happened after that." Trudy looked down. "I keep forgetting that these things move."

"At least the one we're headed for shifted to a slightly closer position." Norm said this while watching a few of the others off in the distance moving. "This one doesn't move as fast."

"I know. That's a relief."

The entire time they had been talking, the radio had been going in and out. They were used to this, so the conversation took a little while, but it was a way to avoid the awkward silence. Jake wasn't too invested either way. He wanted the silence to think, but he didn't at the same time. Thinking about the situation made it all the more harder to understand. Looking out, he saw the mountains floating around, above , and below him. Seeing the shack not too far off, he prepared for landing, thinking about the cool darkness of his link unit. It would be good to just get out of the metal, black, grey, and yellow. He wanted to see the green of the forest, the blue of his skin and the sky, and it made Jake feel almost claustrophobic, sitting in this piece of technology. Feeling the Samson going down, he started releasing the harness that held him in the chair, and when they landed, he did the same with his wheelchair. Trudy lifted it down and then helped him off the edge into it. They had hastily replaced their exopacks, knowing that it would do no good without them.

Reaching the airlock, they waited, removing their exopacks at the appropriate time, and hanging them on the wall. Re-entering the box that they had been living in for the past two months or so, Jake saw that Norm was about to drive his avatar for awhile. He looked up as Trudy dropped her jacket onto her bunk. "Hey, how was it out there?"

"Shitty. It's a rat's nest of grunts in there." Trudy said this while downing a glass of water. Jake headed for his own link unit, having learned how to start it in the last week.

"Yeah, and what I'm doing isn't helping. From the looks of it, it was better with the Omaticaya attacking the dozers. At least that way, Quaritch didn't think they were planning some surprise attack. I think their focus on me and not the RDA is making the pencil-pushers more nervous."

"Go figure. You can't please everyone." Trudy looked at him with a knowing expression. "You're going out, aren't you?"

"Yep." Jake waited for his unit to start up, collapsing his wheelchair beside it. Lying back on the link bed, he watched as the lid closed down on top of him. Hearing the soft roar and feeling the bed moving, he closed his eyes.

"I'm coming…"

A/N 2: Sorry for the short chapter. I'll be working on chapter three soon. This one was a challenge, because I had to incorporate Hell's Gate in here somewhere. Thought I'd do it in this one. Again, thanks for the response to the pilot chapter